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Na'vi
For the Na'vi Homeworld, see: Pandora Introduction The Na'vi are, on average, approximately 3-meters tall, with smooth, striped cyan-colored skin, large amber eyes, and long, sweeping tails, yet their bodies are more slender than Humans. They were the second known extraterrestrial species discovered by Humans. At the time of contact the Na'vi were hunter-gatherers with technology equivalent of Earth's Paleolithic epoch yet they had developed a sophisticated culture based on a profound spiritual connection to other life on their moon, each other, and an encompassing "goddess" they call Eywa. Biology Na'vi skin is smooth, iridescent, and cyan in color accentuated with slightly darker cyan stripes. Their bodies have feline-like features such as long sweeping tails, pointed ears and triangular faces with flat bifurcated noses, all framed with large, almost hypnotically golden eyes. Bioluminescent markings that seem to follow the path of the circulatory or nervous system aid in identification and mood display. Skin color is due to the presence of the cyanin pigment. It can "tan" to a darker purplish color after prolonged sunlight exposure. Despite their cyan skin color, the Na'vi have red blood, utilizing an iron oxygen-transporting compound similar to hemoglobin. Na'vi have hair on their heads including the long braid protruding from the base of their skulls protecting their neural queue. The Na'vi have no other body hair, with the exception of eyelashes and a small "bob" of fur on the end of their tails. Waist is narrow and elongated. The shoulders are very wide, creating a V-shaped upper back. The neck is long and body slender. Musculature sharply defined, giving no sense of emaciation despite thin proportions. Skeleton is reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fiber. Average male is approximately 3-meters tall; females slightly smaller due possibly to evolutionary "size" dimorphism. Average male has a mass around 162 kg. Female mass slightly less due to lighter build and slightly shorter stature. The tail can be moved and controlled like any other appendage and is used primarily for balance. It is frequently used to express emotion and is the basis for the Na'vi saying: "Watch your tail, Child!" Na'vi have four fingers on each hand including opposable thumbs and four toes on each foot including opposable big toes. Dentition is similar to that of Humans, though the canines are more pronounced. Highly evolved nervous system includes a queue which resembles a long, rather ostentatious hair braid. This seemingly conventional braid actually sheathes a remarkably intricate system of neural tendrils that can be connected to similar structures of other life-forms. They have roughly four times the strength of the average human. Bisymatry vs. Trisymatry The Na'vi are fundamentally different from all other large Pandoran animals: Na'vi have four limbs and use two legs for locomotion (bipedal tetrapod), while most medium-to-large-bodied Pandoran animals have a total of six limbs (or wings) for locomotion (hexapod). Na'vi have only a single pair of eyes while almost all other medium-to-large bodied Pandoran animals have two pairs of eyes; one primary set and another slightly smaller set. Most medium-to-large bodied Pandoran animals have two nerve clusters (antennae) extending backward from the head, while the Na'vi only have a single nerve cluster located in their queue. Most medium-to-large bodied Pandoran animals possess twin operculi near the shoulder/breast bone which supplies air for both respiration as well as internal body temperature regulation, while the Na'vi possess no such structures. From the evidence, one may conclude that the Na'vi either diverged a long time ago from the common Pandoran phylogenetic or evolutionary tree, or they may be outsiders to this world. The presence of the single Na'vi queue would appear to indicate an adaptive evolutionary process which would contradict the "outsider" theory as this queue is compatible with other Pandoran lifeforms. However, the former theory would be supported by the presence of the blue lemurs common in Pandora's jungles. Terrestrial lemurs share a common primate ancestry with Humans, the presence of blue lemurs on Pandora suggests a similar evolutionary relationship between the Na'vi and other extinct or unobserved species with primate morphology. Reproduction Reproduction mechanics (e.g. physical coupling) are similar to humans and other Terran mammals. However, it should be noted that although female Na'vi have breasts similar to those on female humans – also used to nurse their infants – they are not placental mammals and, as such, the actual internal reproductive biology is quite different from Terran mammals. Lifespan The average Na'vi life span is longer than that of a human – approximately 30% longer – though they mature more rapidly. Culture Prior to the Halo event 100,000 years ago, the Na'vi were a semi-industralized race capable of short distance space travel. However after they were returned to Pandora from preservation on the Ark, they devolved into a tribalistic state do to infighting remained that way until humanity re-encountered them in the 21st century. Cultural Dogma Clothing Little apparel is worn by the Na'vi. Cloth, most likely woven from native flora of the planet is the basic garment worn by all Na'vi. It is possible that very little clothing is worn by the Na'vi because it is simply what is needed for the Na'vi to work and live taking minimally from the environment. Clothes appear to also show the ranking of one in the hierarchy of a clan. For example, the clan leaders wear a garment made of brilliant or precious materials in comparison to a simple clothing piece worn by other clan members. Accessories are added to a Na'vi's attire as he or she moves up in the clan hierarchy. For example an apprentice clan member, wears only an undecorated loincloth; as he learned more about the Na'vi culture, however, he can add armbands and necklaces to display his ranking. Food The Na'vi are an omnivorous species. They eat meat as demonstrated by their hunting practices and pronounced canines but have also been seen to forage, demonstrating their consumption of plants and other producers. Their society includes hunters and gatherers with incipient agriculture. Mathematics Because Na'vi only have four fingers on each hand, their counting system is based on the number eight. They use this octal arithmetic in their daily life. Early in the history of their language, the Na'vi had no words for numbers higher than mevol (16), the sum of all fingers and toes on their body. Anything more was simply called pxay (many). Octal numbers can easily be confused with decimal numbers unless a numeral 8 or 9 is present or the number is followed by a subscript to indicate the base system used, 8 for the octal system or 10 for a decimal system. Mythology The populations of the Na'vi and other species may be controlled by the sentient intelligence they worship as Eywa. They choose to live in harmony and natural equilibrium with their surroundings. If they become too numerous, Eywa may devise a way to limit their numbers before they cause an ecological imbalance, for she maintains the balance of life. Over the millennia, the Na'vi have developed a healthy respect and reverence for their surrounding environment. In return, Eywa may have affected the environment to provide them with sufficient food and shelter, creatures to ride for ground and air transportation, and an ambient, comfortable temperature throughout the different biomes of Pandora. Family Life The Na'vi are monogamous creatures who mate for life. The mechanics of reproduction are similar to that of humans and other Terran mammals. However, their unique physiology provides the Na'vi with a level of intimacy unknown on Earth. Cultural anthropologists believe that when an appropriate mate has been selected (which can take many years), the male and female Na'vi will connect queues (called tsaheylu) to create an emotional bond that lasts a lifetime. The intertwining of queues is both highly erotic and profoundly spiritual, but does not in itself lead to reproduction. Traditionally, once a Na'vi male has passed the tests on the path to manhood and has been accepted into the clan as an adult, he is allowed to make his bow from the wood of the Hometree and, also, is allowed to choose his woman. After the woman has been chosen, the new couple mates before Eywa. Once tsaheylu, the ultimate in intimacy, is made between the couple, it creates pleasure that is unfathomable to humans and causes the somewhat unwilling sharing of the couple's good memories. This is considered a sign of Eywa's acceptance. If a couple can be foreseen to not have a pleasant or happy future, Eywa has been known to reverse the feeling produced by making tsaheylu as a sign to the couple that mating would only, in simple words, ruin their lives together. This process prevents what would become an unsuccessful lifelong mating. After the resulting embracing and kissing, the couple is sent to sleep by Eywa, and the two dream hints of what their future will be together. The couple will experience the pleasure of tsaheylu from the moment of connection until they awaken and have completed mating. When they disconnect and return to the clan, they are mated for life. Society Na'vi populations tend to concentrated in rainforest regions however outlying clans have been detected on each continent and in subarctic, swampland, and mountainous regions. Commonly though most Na'vi clans live in tremendously large ancient trees they call Kelutral, or "Hometree" . Human-Na'vi Relations Relations between the first Human colonists and the Na'vi at first were tense, however the careful and delicate operations by the scientists on the UES Conestoga soon found an equilibrium. In order to foster better relations, Na'vi and Humans developed a common method of 'child-swapping', as in the colony of Hellenic and the surrounding Na'vi clans would group their children together and for two-weeks would be taught in the Human colony and for three weeks in the Na'vi Hometrees (Na'vi traditions and skills were seen as more critical to living on Pandora then Human ones). As such by the 2150s, most Humans who were born or raised on Pandora as children tend to speak with Na'vi accents, have a secondary Na'vi name and Na'vi mannerisms are highly prevalent in their culture. However to off-set this, Na'vi culture and science has been revolutionized by Human knowledge and education, though both species show deference to the worship of Eywa in most respects. History Empire Territory *Pandora Category:Species Category:Republic of Pandora Category:United Earth Category:Sentient Species Category:Coalition Member Species